Nevada County picayune., 1887-01-12
ATLANTA's HAPPY STATE.
Why Her Business Men Have Had
 Very Merry Christmas.

Very Merry Christmas. ! A Personal etteY from J. C. KimbalI, Coal ! Dealer-.Whv He Did Not Vote for ProhbI-
 tion, and Why He Is Sorry that He Didn't, New York Voice.
 Tine letter below was written to prominent wholesale grocer Of this city. and by him, with the consent of the writer, was trans milted to us for publication.
 uoN. G. WALDO SMITH,
 New York:
 Ded. Sir: In response to your letter ot inquiry l take pleasure in giving you the following state ment of facts, every one of which is susceptible of the mos abun. dant proof.
 was not an original Prohlbi' lionist and did not vote .fof the ordinance in the electiou of lSS5. In the light of subsequent events. am very glad to say, however, that l did not ote against 1t, l was, as l have long been, an anti bar.room man, but seriously doubted whether Prohibition was the best method to be adopted in in city of the size of Atlanta, and. in common with many others hold ing similar views, l abstained from voting.
 Prohibition was carried and many of our best men trembled for the business interests of our city. That was year ago, and though actual Prohibition did not take place until july last, yet the effect upon the city began with the declaration of the vote. The de- faated "Antis' at once began the circulation of the most damaging reports.
 Notwithstanding the fact that these reports have been over and over denied and proven to be maliciouslv false and slanderous, yet they are repeated again and again.
 Now for the facts.
 The charge thatslarge numbers of business men have removed to other cities, carrying with them two or three millions of capital, IS the g,ossest kind of exaggeration. I have been constant resident of Atlanta for nearly seventeen years and know the city well. Since the receipt of your letter, l have made dlligent inquiry amongst members of the Chamber of Commerce and leading bankers and others, and believe it is strictly true that not single prominent business man has removed his residence from the city since Prohibition.
 2d. The charge that hundreds ot the best business blocks in the city are tenantless, and that city property has greatly deteriorated in value, is wholly untrue. Ofthe houses formerly occupied by wholesale liquor dealers, not one is vacant Of those used for bar. rooms in the business portion or the city, only ons is now vacant and that is litte store 20x4O 1t.
 Of all the places formerly used for barrooms ill all parts of the c:tv, not over fourteen ale now vacant, and most of those are cheap, wooden structures, many of them built for the purpose upon side streets, or upon the outskirts of the city. After a free consulta- ton with leading architects and builders, and with the principal renting agents of the city, l make tue statement that for every really tenantahle building in this city now vacant, two new ones have been erected since Prohibition. The principle renting agents all endorse my statement, and further declare that al no time within the past five years have their rent lists of desirable houses been smaller than they are now. They also say that of the new houses that have been and are being built. nearly every one is rented before II is competed.
 The above statements are made and concurred in by such well known real estate operators as G. W. Adair, Frierson X Scott, $. w. Goode. F Nj. Roberts, Rice X Wilson, J C. Hendrix and Smith X Dallas. In tae judgement of these agents there are not to-day, of all sorts, over 200 houses vacant in the entire city, and of these not